Instrument-board lamp



J. R. STARK INSTRUHENT BOARD LAMP.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 1922 Oll hl l\\\\\\ Jan. 20, 1925. 1,523,49

J. R. STARK INSTRUMENT BOARD LAMP Filed May 3, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 VIfIIIIIIlI/T 4 [rave/U0? @7272 Z CUK.

J. R. STARK NSTRUMENT BOARD LAMP Filed llay 1922 3 Shoots-Sheet 3 77 I f jamxjzwf.

Patented a. an, was.

v 1,523, 21.33 FHQO enn nor amen, or RACINE, Wisconsin, Assrenoa 'ro wmsrnn nitncrarc oomram, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN,

A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

INSTRUMENT-BOARD LAMP.

Application riled may 3,

m citizen of the United States, and resident of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Instrument- Board Lamps, of which the following is a. full, clear,' concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying 0 drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in electric lamps such as are ordinarily employed on the instrument boards of automobiles to facilitateinthe operation of the apparatus.

The object of the invention is to provide a lamp of this character which may be ready removed from the instrument board and converted into a portable lamp such as the ordinary trouble lamp employed about an automobile.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through 1 automobile instrument board,

the instrument board lamp of the invention and'the reel for the twisted pair of electrical conductors leading thereto;

Figure 2 is 'a section on the line 22 of 39 Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View through the drum and housing substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section on the llHB H of Figure' 3 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a section substantially on the.

- line 5-5 of Figure 3 looking in the directionof the. arrows Fi ure" 6 is a sectional view through the stic -on magnet of the lamp and the lamp J socket contacts; and v Figure 7 is a circuit diagram showin the connections for the various instrumenta ities employed in the invention. v It is believed the invention will be best understood by a description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying draw- V l s Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts in the several fi es, 10 indicates an. instrument board sue as ordinarily employed on 2. 11311303110519 Within the opening 11 in 4 positioned a spring 27 1922. Serial No. 558,119.

the instrument board is located the collar 12. T e collar 12 is substantially cylindrical but 1s provided on the upper side thereof with an outwardly curved portion which forms the notch or recess 13 adapted to receive the conductors of the twisted pair 14. Secured to the flanges 15 and 16 of the collar 12, by

means of the rivets 17, is the housing memher which consists of the substantially semicircular edge portion 18 having the frontportion 19 integral therewith and the side members 20 and 21 secured to the -parts 18 and 19 in any suitable or desired manner.

Non-rotatably mounted in the plates 20 and 21 is a shaft 22. Rotat'ably mounted on the shaft 22 is a reel which consists of the sheet'metal side pieces 23 and 24 joined together by means of the cylindrical member 25 secured to'the side ieces 23 and 24 by the rivets-26. Within tie recess between the central portions of the plates 23 and 2a is such as the wellknown clock s ring, one end of which is secured to the snaft 22, the other end being provided with-a hook 28 arranged to engage .one end of the cylindrical member 25, as shown in Figure 1.

The spring 27 is arranged to normally tend to rotate the reel in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figures 1 and 4:, so as to wind the twisted pair 14: thereon.

Pivotally supported on the reel member 23 is a pair of dogs or pawls 29 arranged to cooperate with the notches 30 in the shaft 25 so as to maintain the reel in any desired ad-.

Suitably secured within the circumference J of the cylindrical block 32 is a pair of collector rings 33 and 34. The binding post 35 is electrically connected to the collector ring 32, while binding post 36 is electrically connected to the collector ring 34 as will be clear from an inspection of Figure 3 of the drawings.

llnsulatively secured to the plate 24 and the cylindrical member 26 at diametrically opposite sides thereof are thebrushes 37 and 38. Brush 37 at its free end is provided with the inwardly ding flanges 33 ring 33 and remain in engagement therewith 1 upon rotation of the reel.

In like manner the brush 38 is provided with flanges 40 switching arm 61 provided with a handle 62- which in a similar manner are arranged to overlie the edges of the collector ring 34. The ends of the conductors of the twisted pair 14 -'are connected to the brushes 37 and 38.- respectively through the medium of thehollow rivets or eyelets 41. Thus, it will be observed that through the medium of they binding posts 35 and 36, collector rings and 34, brushes 37 and 38, and the conductors of the twisted pair 14, acircuit may be extended through the reel to the terminals of the lamp socket which will presently be described.

. Referring now to Figure 1, 42 indicates the base of the instrument lamp arranged to be inserted within the socket 43. The socket 43 niay be formed in any desired manner, but is preferably made by turning downwardly portions integral with the inwardly directed flange 44 o the housing member 45. Positioned within the enlarged portion 46 of the housing member 45 is a. stick-on magnet which consists of the metallic core '47 having the winding 48 thereon. Secured to the core piece 47, by means of the reduced portion 49, is a washer 50 of rigid insulating material. The washer 50 is adapted to enitge the shoulder 51 in the housing member.

washer 52 is provided about the core 47 in the'opposite side of the winding 48, the

whole magnet structure being retained in.

position by a split expanding ring 53 which is partially received by a recess 54 in the cylindrical portion 46.

Secured to the washer 50 by means of the hollow rivets or e elets 55 is a disc of rigid insulating material 56. The

collars 57 about the rivets 55. The rivets 5,5, in addition to securing the disk 56 in position, also pass through the base of the lamp socket terminal spring contacts 58.

Pivotally secured to the insulating disc 56 by means of the eyelet 60 is a metallic which projects outwardly th'rou h a slot 63 in the housing member 45. he inner end of the switch arm 61 is arranged to engage the contacts 64 and 65 in the nature of rivets or studs mounted in the insulating through which the light from the lamp 69 malyh shine.

e enlarged portion 46 of the magnet I housing is arranged to fit snugly within the disc 56 is. spaced from the washer 50 by means of the 68 of anydesired contour 72 having an outwardlyextending flange 73 which follows closel the contour of the outwardly extending e ge of the collar 11. The flange 73 is provided with a notch 74 through which the handle 62 of the switch arm 61 may pass.

The circuit connections for the various parts of the device will now be described, reference being had to Fi re 7.

The source of energy 5 is shown connected tothe binding posts 35 and 36, which are permanently connected to the collector rings 33 and-34. The collector rings 33 and 34 arev normally engagedby the brushes 37 and 38 to which .are joined the terminals of the conductors 76 and .77, which together form the twisted pair 14, previously referred to. The conductor 76 at its end remote from the brush 38 is electrically connected to the switch lever 61, arranged to engage the contact 64, or both contacts 64 and 65, depending on its rotary position. The conductor 77 is connected to one of the switch socket contacts '58, and also to one'side of thewinding 48 of the stick-on ma et. The other side of the winding 48 is joined by means of the conductor 78 to the contact 65. The

ri ht lamp socket contact 58, as seen in oining one pole of the battery 75 to the inding post 36 may have included in it' lector ring 34, brush 38, conductor 76. arm 61, contact 64, to one lamp socket terminal,

and from'the opposite pole of the battery through binding post 35, collector ring 33, brush 37 and conductor 77 to the other lamp socket terminal 58. It will be noted that at this time the circuit for the stick-on magnet winding 48'is open at contact 65. If, how- -Figure 7, is electrically joined to the switch contact 64. If desired, the conductor 79 over, the switch arm 61 be moved further so as to engage both contacts 64 and 65, the above traced circuit will extend in parallel from the arm 61 to the lamp socket contact 58 and to one side of the magnet, and in parallel from the conductor 77 to the opposite lamp socket contact 58 and the other side of the winding 48; Thus, when the switch arm 61 is moved to'an intermediate a clockwise direction, to assume an inoperative position whereit engages neither contact 64 nor 65. When, however, it is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction so that the arm 62 engages the end of the slot 74, the arm 61 will be in a position to engage contact 64-only so as to complete a circuit for.

the instrument .lamp. This arrangement prevents the wasting of current by closing a circuit -for the magnet 48 while the lamp is in its position on the instrument board.

, The slot 63, however, in the housing 45 is of sufficient length to permit the switch arm 61 to be moved to a position where it will engage both contacts 64 and 65, thus completing a circuit for the magnet and lamp in parallel, as above described. If desired, the handle 62 may be moved to the extreme counter-clockwise position on the instrument board, and the'circuit then controlled by the switch contacts 80 associated with the usual instrument board light switch. v

V'Vith the present invention, it becomes unnecessary to. provide 'a trouble lamp, and in case it .is desiredto use a portable lamp in order to examine the engine or tires, all that is necessary is to grasp the cap 67 ,give

it a slight turn and withdraw the portion 46 of the housing member from the collar 11. As the lampcis moved from the instrument board, the twisted pair of conductors 14 will unwind from the reel, and, in an obvious manner, the reel may be caused to remain in its adjusted position. When the device is no longer desired as a trouble lamp,

' all that is necessary is to give the. twisted pair 14 a slight jerk and permit it to be rewound on the-reel by means of the spring 27, the lamp being-replaced on the instru- '1' claim as new and desire to ment board by the reverse of the procbss by which it was removed. I Although in the accompanying drawings and in the above-description applicant has disclosed but one set of details, it is understood that he contemplates many modifications therein, and the invention, therefore, is to be limited merely by the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what ters Patent of-the United States is:

1. In combination, a reel arranged to be secure by Letsecured to one side of the instrument board position to join said conductor to said contact and to said winding;

2. In combination, a reel arranged to be secured to one side of the instrument board of an automobile, an instrument lamp socket having a contact, means for detachably securing said socket to the instrument board, a magnet having a windingfixed to said socket, a switching device carried by said socket, a conductor joined to said switching device at one end and adapted to be around on said reel, said switching device being capable of assuming a plurality of positions, in one of which said contact an said winding .are isolated from said conductor, in another of which said contact is electrically joined to said conductor, and in still another of which both the contact and winding are electrically joined to said conductor, and means on the instrument board for preventing said switching device being moved to said last mentioned position when said socket is in position thereon.

3. Ina combined instrument lamp and portable lamp, a-housing, a lamp socket carried thereby, a lamp contact associated with said socket, a. magnet winding carried by said housing, an incoming conductor, a switch within said housing having a plurality of positions, said switch in one position being arranged to electrically isolate said contact andlwinding from said conductor, in another position to connect said cont-act to said conductor, and in still another position to connect both said contact and said winding to said conductor, means for detachably securing said housing to the instrument board of an automobile, and means on the instrument board operative when said housing is mounted thereon for preventing said switch being moved to its last men tioned position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th day of April, 1922.

JOHN ROY STAR-K.

Witnesses:

E. M. RAY, 4 Mrs. B. MILLER. 

